More
Information on BPL/PLC and Ham Radio
The ARRL Lab has prepared a comprehensive
information page, "Power Line Communications (PLC)
and Amateur Radio," on the ARRL Web site. The Web site contains files and
links of information about PLC and related broadband technologies and how they
may adversely affect Amateur Radio and other HF radio operation.
"ARRL posted this Web page to help ensure
that there is a good balance of information about BPL/PLC technology available
to amateurs who may want to file comments with the FCC in response to the NOI,"
said ARRL Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, who compiled the information contained
on the site.
Hare says information he's come up with and
included on the site counters BPL/PLC industry claims that minimize concerns of
interference to other services. "In doing the research for this page, I noticed
that the PLC industry has been stating categorically that there have been 'no
reports of interference' from the PLC field trials that have taken place," Hare
said. "This page demonstrates otherwise, with link after link to amateur
studies that demonstrate clearly that PLC has a significant interference
potential that simply cannot--and should not--be ignored."
The BPL/PLC industry has had access to the
same studies, Hare asserts, and he feels certain that amateurs in Europe and
Japan have made the industry aware that, contrary to industry claims,
interference has resulted from any field trials in which Amateur Radio
was involved.
"The links to the video and audio recordings
are persuasive," Hare said. "No one seeing them can have any doubt that PLC and
interference can go hand in hand." Hare says the League is very willing to
continue to work cooperatively with the industry on interference issues, but he
says it's important that this occur "on a level playing field." Publicizing
Amateur Radio studies that have shown interference from PLC technology is an
important part of that cooperation, Hare added.
"Once this genie is let out of the bottle, if
widespread harmful interference to HF happens--and all indications are that it
will--it will be very expensive to put it back in the bottle. The time to raise
and answer interference questions is now," Hare concluded.
Page last modified: 01:34 PM, 30 Apr 2003 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
